Nick Macdonald made seven political, essay films from 1970 to 1975. These films have been shown at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Whitney Museum of American Art, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and various university and leftist forums. Made on extremely low budgets with a homemade quality to them, his films don’t rely on documentary footage but, instead, use photographs and guerrilla skits, often shot within his apartment. In 2015, MoMA accepted all his films for their archives and they are currently being processed by the museum. Macdonald’s book, In Search of La Grande Illusion, on Jean Renoir’s classic film, was published in 2014 by McFarland & Co.

PROGRAM

Variations on a Shot: Cape Ocean (1973) --- 4 minutes (3:52)

A silent film made up of a series of color shots of the Atlantic Ocean at Truro on Cape Cod, in different seasons and weather, from the same camera position.

No More Leadershit (1971) — 4 minutes (3:34)

A collage of photographs featuring leaders in different fields, removed by the filmmaker to show that all leaders need to be viewed with skepticism.

The Liberal War (1972) — 33 minutes (32:52)

Set in the future of an anarchist utopia, a look back at the Vietnam War during the JFK years — and beyond. Shot in 1972, in the filmmaker’s apartment, without documentary footage of the war, as metaphors are created through animation of images and objects, and through guerrilla skits. By rejecting the authority of traditional documentary footage, the anarchist spirit of individual responsibility is established. History from one person’s point of view, rather than a definitive proclamation.

(Brief Q&A)

Still Attica Remains (1975) — 15 minutes (14:48)

Shot in New York City on September 13, 1975, which was the 4th anniversary of the massacre at the Attica prison in upstate New York. The narration presents a case that the brutal assault was cold-blooded and senseless, causing an avoidable horror.

Acts of Revolution (1976) — 6 minutes (6:16)

A short film with actors, on certain daily acts (like listening to others), which are light-heartedly seen as revolutionary.

Variations on a Shot: Slough Pond (1973) --- 4 minutes (3:51) A silent film made up of a series of color shots of Slough Pond in Truro on Cape Cod, in different seasons and weather, from the same camera position.